1. Technical Field
The presently disclosed subject matter relates to lighting fixtures, and in particular, to a lighting fixture to be used as a footlight, a night light, a space light, a convenience light, etc.
2. Related Art
The fields of application and purposes of various lighting fixtures are wide. One example of a lighting fixture is a footlight or a night light which are used for safety purposes or convenience. Various types of footlights or night lights have been proposed, which include one embedded in a wall of a room at a lower portion thereof for illuminating a floor surface (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-243256), one serving as a portable electric torch-like light mounted on a wall surface so as to be detachable (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-327524), one embedded in a piece of furniture for illuminating an area surrounding the furniture or serving as a footlight, and the like.
When a lighting fixture is attached on a wall, illumination light emitted therefrom is radiated from the wall surface. Accordingly, any obstacles such as furniture cannot be disposed in front of, or near, the wall. This limitation can reduce interior design efficiency as well as limit space utilization efficiency.
In case of the embedded lighting fixture, it is required to secure a space for accommodating the lighting fixture that is to be embedded as well as to provide a structure therefore. The embedding structure may provide a different appearance from its surroundings (design or aesthetic limitations) and also may increase the cost.
Conventional footlights or night lights are designed to provide a practically sufficient illumination effect, but any illumination effect for a space (for example, providing a comfortable environment, etc.) has not been taken into consideration.